File Under 'Cool Art Department' - Glass Microbiology

UK Artist Luke Jerram has created a series of glass sculptures of microbes, including E. coli and the Smallpox virus. In fact, a colored image of an earlier HIV sculpture he made that was taken by photographer David Sayer won an award from the Institute of Medical Imaging in 2007. Several works in the series of sculptures were designed in consultation with virologists from the University of Bristol using a combination of different scientific photographs and models.

From Luke Jerram's site:

"Its great to be exploring the edges of scientific understanding and visualization of a virus. Scientists aren't able to answer many of the questions I ask them, such as how the RNA is exactly fitted within the Capsid? At the moment, the technology isn't there to answer all these questions for certain. I'm also pushing the boundaries of glassblowing. Some of my designs simply can't be created in glass, Some are simply too fragile and gravity would cause them to collapse under their own weight. So there's a very careful balancing act that needs to take place, between the limitations of current scientific knowledge and glassblowing techniques."

Comments (1)

That is so cool! My little sister is an artist and sometimes makes me microbiology themed pieces, I love them and the concept of the worlds of art and microbiology/science coming together. Keep up the great work Luke, and thanks for sharing this Chris.